Week 3 Process Modeling Lab Seth Wenner Srw51@pitt.edu
Questions
1. Describe your experience creating process models in this lab (e.g. Was the process easy/difficult/frustrating/trivial? Would you be able to create the diagram on your own with just a narrative? What were your biggest challenges?)
The lab was fairly easy to complete. The software was intuitive enough to not require much of a learning curve. I think it would definitely be much more difficult to create a model from a narrative, especially with the more difficult model. I didn’t have any significant setbacks or challenges, the “hardest” part was finding shortcuts and better ways of doing things to speed up the process.

2. Assume you’re a new intern tasked with creating a process model that describes the accounts receivable collections process. Where would you look for information that describes the process that would allow you to create a complete process model that outlines everything from the time you first create the invoice to the time you receive payment from the customer?
The first thing I would do is find the A.R. supervisor and interview them about the entire process from beginning to end. This would be a good start. After that I would try to follow a single invoice and track its entire journey through the system and make note of all possible paths and nuances of the process.

3. Give an example of a situation where a narrative would be more useful than a process model.

A narrative can be more useful than a process model when the process cannot be defined in the required amount of detail, and there are certain vague ideas or concepts that cannot be sufficiently explained in the model. Also, process models aren’t helpful when there is a significant amount of decision making that only an involved human can discern. An example would be the process of a business choosing between